On one hand, I don't think the government should control what you can name your kid. On the other, seeing what some people in this country choose to saddle their offspring with.......I can understand it's usefulness.

Coco LaFemme:On one hand, I don't think the government should control what you can name your kid. On the other, seeing what some people in this country choose to saddle their offspring with.......I can understand it'sits usefulness.

Wow, that was embarrassing. That's what I get for not clicking "Preview" before "Add Comment."

In a country comfortable with a firm state role, most people don't question the Personal Names Register, a list of 1,712 male names and 1,853 female names that fit Icelandic grammar and pronunciation rules and that officials maintain will protect children from embarrassment

When you got the left (OMG bullying embarrassing names OMG) and the right (you will obey and use only names linguistically correct to continue tradition), you probably should know by then that the legislation is not the best idea

Sybarite:If I became dictator, a list of approved names (each with only ONE spelling) would be published within my first 100 days. Go find another outlet for your "creativity."

This will just make pre-filtering resumes and job applications all the more difficult. Now, it's like there's a built in early warning system: "Sorry BrayDen & Kynydy, not even gonna need to waste valuable seconds looking at your 'qualifications'"

Well, Björk is a traditional Icelandic girl's name, meaning "birch".I don't have a complete problem with there being some sort of limit on names to prevent things that are blatantly offensive or potentially damaging to the child, but it seems like instead of having a set approved list, they should have rules about what is excluded and if there are specific names that need to be called out as not allowed, do so. Being stuck the name of "Girl" seems more damaging than the name the mother gave her.

I once heard an Icelandic legend of a girl conceived on a fishing boat when her mom had carnal relations with several of the crew. Iceland observes patronymic naming, but since they didn't know who the father was, they named the kid after the boat.

Coco LaFemme:On one hand, I don't think the government should control what you can name your kid. On the other, seeing what some people in this country choose to saddle their offspring with.......I can understand it's usefulness.

The language has a very peculiar sort of grammar, and names are essential to how a society organizes itself.